Bakwena Aims to Maintain International Road Standards

Road safety

Bakwena is committed to managing, maintaining and upgrading its road infrastructure (N1N4 Platinum Highway) to international standards.

In order to make the N1N4 Platinum Highway durable, cost-effective and safe to travel on, Bakwena is incorporating a geotextile technology, called GlasGrid, in its rehabilitation strategy of the N1 route. This stretch of road had deteriorated with extensive cracking and was due for rehabilitation. Used in various developed countries the world over, the GlasGrid application on the Bakwena route is the biggest in South Africa to date!

GlasGrid is an advanced fibreglass technology that reinforces the base of the road to prevent surface cracking. “As South Africa develops, so does the importance of national roads for commerce and industry, and in turn, traffic volumes on these roads increase over time. With a greater amount of road users comes a greater rate of deterioration, which is why making use of smart technologies, such as the GlasGrid system, could be beneficial in maintaining the road,” shares spokesperson for Bakwena, Liam Clarke.

In many recent accident reports a trailer is found somewhere on or near the crash scene. Surveys confirm that not all trailer owners are fully aware of the safest method of towing cargo.

“Our objective is to add value to road users. By keeping the routes safe and in top condition, road users are getting value for money, reduced travelling time and increased safety. Bakwena strives to be at the forefront of new and improved technologies and incorporates such into large rehabilitation and upgrade projects. Successful implementation of new technologies such as GlasGrid could present a long term benefit to the road user. We will be monitoring the potential value that GlasGrid adds to our roads,” Clarke concludes.